Stories about History from March, 2006
Jamaica, Guyana: Walter Rodney
Jebratt and Geoffrey Philp remember slain Guyanese teacher, writer and political activist Walter Rodney, on the day of his birthday.
DRC: Elections and “Rwandanization”
For Musengeshi Katata from Forum Realisance (FR) a victory for Joseph Kabila in the upcoming election would only prolong the “rwandanization” of the Congo. The “rwandanization” of the Congo started when Laurent Kabila, Joseph's predecessor and father began hiring rwandan and ugandan mercenaries to keep himself in power, says Katata....
Argentina: Learning from the Past with Art
In a week focused on the past, Robert Wright recounts his trip to an exhibit at the Centro Cultural Recoleta on the dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. “The idea is that by examining the past in detail, it will never happen again.”
Pakistan: The day the idea was born
Light Within on Pakistan Day -“The people of Pakistan celebrate the 23rd of March, every year, with great zeal and enthusiasm, to commemorate the most outstanding achievement of the Muslims of South Asia who passed the historic Pakistan Resolution on this day at Lahore in 1940.”
DRC: “I Have a Dream”
Blogger Tony Katombe of Le Blog du Congolais publishes (FR) an eloquent email received from a Belgian reader who thanks him for shedding light on Belgium's past and present entanglements with the DRC. Katombe then embarks on his version of “I Have a Dream” in which through his blog he...
Trinidad & Tobago: Not in Chaguaramas
The Trinidad & Tobago government's proposal to locate low-income housing on Trinidad's north-western peninsula is a bad idea, says Francomenz, in a well-documented post on the matter.
Bahamas: The great land rush
As “the biggest sell-off of Bahamian land in history” takes place, Sir Arthur Foulkes recalls some earlier efforts at land development and speculation by both Bahamians and foreigners.
Iranian New Year
Today Iranian all over the world will celebrate NEW YEAR (1385), Norouz. It is fascinating to see that many bloggers remember political prisoners, blogger or not. Two Iranian reformist politicians & bloggers, Mostafa Moin & Mohammad Ali Abtahi, just posted a short happy New Year message on their blogs. Moin...
Caribbean/Latin America: Two architectures
Jon at Posthegemony posts two architectural analyses: one on “an architecture designed to repel nomads”, also known as forts, and another on architecture designed to attract them, in this particular case, the Internationalist-style Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
China: Jews in Harbin
China Confidential picks up a Xinhua report on the visit to the northeastern city of Harbin by members of the U.S.-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL). “In the 1920s, Harbin was the largest Jewish community in the Far East, with a thriving economic and cultural life. Numerous Jewish relics of those days,...
Barbados, USA: Historical ties
A note from an English subscriber inspires Linda to write about the ties between Colonial Barbados and America before and during the American Revolution.
Japan: National archives
Japundit shows off its list of Japan-related Web links, including one for the National Archives, and discovers a somewhat less serious approach to Japanese culture, at Ask A Ninja.
Philippines: Historic Highway
Howie's Sidetrip talks about old pictures of Epifanio de Los Santos Avenue, or EDSA, a major Manila urban artery on which the country's 1986 People Power Revolution was played out. Not that long ago, EDSA skirted rural rice fields. Now it passes by malls and skyscrapers.
Hong Kong, China: Tank man
ESWN rounds up and translates a post from Hong Kong schoolteacher Miss Lee in Summer, who took a photo of the Tiananmen tank hero to class, only to discover that most of her students thought it was taken in Iraq.
Haiti: Pros and Cons on Resurrecting the Army
While President Preval wishes to dissolve the Haitian army for good, a recent commission would like to resurrect it. AyitiCherieConnexion weighs in (FR) with an analysis of the Haitian army's historical role as a repressive tool for presidents. AyitiCherie concludes however that since Haiti's neighbor the Dominican Rep. has an...
Nigeria: Oduduwa – Yoruba
In Odu to da Iwa, Jangbalajugbu-Homeland Stories introduces readers to Oduduwa..”Oduduwa is regarded as the progrenitor of the Yoruba race. In one of the stories of creation, Oduduwa is said to have descended from the heavens via a chain let down to Ile Ife, Odùduwà brought with him a chicken,...
Buying In, Selling Out or Scraping By: Francophone African Bloggers on Social Mobility and Education
School on Hold While Mom Scrapes By Carine. Courtesy Tony Katombe. Le Blog du Congolais shares (FR) the touching story of Carine, a 22 year-old from the DRC with an infectious smile who sells omelettes and doughnuts during school hours: Today I don't feel like eating Carine's omelettes. I can't...
Slovenia: Zlatorog
Isoglossia shares all he knows about Slovenia's Zlatorog, or the Golden Horn: “the goat, the myth, the beverage, the soap.”
The Balkans: “Finally, the Post-Milosevic Era”
Slobodan Milosevic, former Yugoslav leader and a war-crimes defendant, died of a heart attack in his prison cell in the Hague on March 11. After much debate, it was decided to bury him privately in his hometown of Pozarevac, 80 km of Serbia's capital Belgrade, on March 18. Until then,...
Ukraine: Chernobyl's 20th Anniversary in NYC
Languor Management reports on the exhibit that has opened in New York's Ukrainian Museum on March 12: “The Ukrainian Museum is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster with this multi-media exhibition that explores the accident's impact on the lives of residents in the territories of Ukraine most heavily...
Estonia: Tribute to Lennart Meri
David McDuff of A Step At A Time pays tribute to Lennart Meri, former president of Estonia, who died on March 14. Links to other blogs commemorating this prominent European statesman are provided.
